Brits Still Love CDs

In one nation, at least, downloading--illegal or otherwise--hasn't killed CD sales. British music fans were still buying CDs in 2006 at the same rate as in 2005.

A report in the Guardian quoted figures from the Entertainment Retailers Association saying Britons bought an average of 2.7 CDs per person, versus 2.1 in the U.S., just under 2 in Scandinavia, and 1.5 in Canada and Japan. They must really love their music--CD prices in the U.K. are among the world's highest, though superstore discounting is bringing them down. That in turn is reducing revenues. But the overall picture, for record companies, is certainly brighter over there than back here.

X